Round-the-Clock Purple and Gold

Memorable Moments in Lakers parade history

June 20, 2010 | 7:34
pm

Tomorrow is a big day for Lakers fans, the one when they hope to catch a glimpse of the purple and gold during the team's victory parade. For those fearful that going to the parade will just provide a frustrating reminder that L.A. traffic is horrible, I attached the team release detailing the logistics regarding the parade.

As far as what to expect tomorrow, well, judging by Ron Artest'slocker room and press conferenceantics, my money's on him somehow managing to top himself and all he's done since the Lakers won the title Thursday. It'll be interesting to see how whatever he does compares to some of the memorable moments in Lakers parade history, which are detailed below. (A quick note: For anyone attending the parade and planning to take pictures, feel free to e-mail photos to me. I plan to feature them in a post the next day. My e-mail address is at the bottom of the post.)

1987:After the Lakers came off a Finals victory over the Boston Celtics, coach Pat Riley guaranteed the team would repeat. Though the Lakers had defeated the Celtics two times in the previous three seasons, the goal was considered lofty since no team had repeated as back-to-back champions in nearly two decades. The Lakers fulfilled Riley's promise with a 4-3 series win over the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 Finals.

2001:The Lakers continued to make guarantees, but this one came in a different language. Mark Madsen, a.k.a. "Mad Dog," stated, in Spanish, that the Lakers would win the title again. They went on to sweep the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 Finals to secure a three-peat.

That wasn't the only memorable moment. Mad Dog provided a tutorial on what not to do when you're in a club.

2002: He had already nicknamed the Sacramento Kings the Queens, so there was no reason Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't take a shot at them again, after the Western Conference rivals had slugged it out to a seven-game West finals that featured Robert Horry's buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 4. Said Shaq: "Sacramento will never be the capital of California. Los Angeles is the new capital of California." I couldn't find his speech on YouTube, but here's a reasonable alternative. Shaq raps to the theme song from "Cheers" on why then-Kings center and former Laker Vlade Divac isn't a big deal.

--Mark Medina

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